tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post4314895093604616128..comments2015-03-31T14:02:49.683-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, August 2, 2008 - Karen M. Tracey (CREATOR OF MR. FIELDING AND PROF. GODBOLE / IT COMES BETWEEN SHABAN AND SHAWWAL)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40189173614244018942008-09-13T14:52:00.000-04:002008-09-13T14:52:00.000-04:00Alvin Lee, you are quite right. ZSAZSAGABOR was t...Alvin Lee, you are quite right. ZSAZSAGABOR was the first entry placed in this grid.mellocathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10637828760951248690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82343948757240564732008-09-07T11:35:00.000-04:002008-09-07T11:35:00.000-04:00Ladies &amp; gentlemen, Six Weeks After!!!Did this...Ladies &amp; gentlemen, Six Weeks After!!!<BR/><BR/>Did this in one sitting, without Googling, and without guessing, so I&#39;m a little surprised at the huffing &amp; puffing it caused many of the solvers above. Of course I didn&#39;t get every answer right off the bat, but:<BR/>- do enough puzzles &amp; things you don&#39;t really know you know just come to you (LANTANA, SCHNOZZLE, SCREE, AZIMUTH);<BR/>- do enough puzzles &amp; the constructor&#39;s tricks (misdirection, or figuring which meaning of a word is intended, or knowing where a compound answer is called for) are fairly easily seen through (NLERS, PROVISION, HASFITS, INAFOG).<BR/><BR/>To me, a good puzzle is one that really makes me work &amp; isn&#39;t necessarily finished in 1 sitting, a puzzle from which I can take personal satisfaction in a tough job well done; this one did not strain me very much, and so the satisfaction was more along the lines of, &quot;Ms. Tracey didn&#39;t get me THIS time!&quot; Not to say it wasn&#39;t an enjoyable use of my time...<BR/><BR/>A couple of specific comments: wouldn&#39;t give too much credit to Tracey for &quot;working in&quot; ZSAZSAGABOR - as a sometime constructor I&#39;d guess that she decided to use the name first &amp; then did the fill off of it. Also, it&#39;s unbelievable that ASTONMARTIN could be such a stumper - anyone &quot;of a certain age&quot; would remember that the gimmick-laden car from that very early OO7 flick was renowned at the time. Thus it was a gimme, and a helpful one at that.Alvin Leenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42602833462938623812008-09-06T19:40:00.000-04:002008-09-06T19:40:00.000-04:00A lot depends on your age-for me the first fill, a...A lot depends on your age-for me the first fill, aside from an "s" or two, was Dailey-a total gimme. But then I stumbled through many of the traps you all experienced. When I finish a puzzle like this, I silently award myself a gold star!Caladynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17594247990249086832008-09-06T17:07:00.000-04:002008-09-06T17:07:00.000-04:00Oh yeah, Wade made me laugh out loud again. Huzzah...Oh yeah, Wade made me laugh out loud again. Huzzah!!!Me Againnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43747021817824163942008-09-06T17:05:00.000-04:002008-09-06T17:05:00.000-04:00WOW!!!!!we are into 3 figures of comments now.WOW!!!!!we are into 3 figures of comments now.Me Againnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36669717195214946892008-09-06T17:01:00.000-04:002008-09-06T17:01:00.000-04:00Jae said:"I knew I liked this one when about a qua...Jae said:<BR/><BR/>"I knew I liked this one when about a quarter of the way into it I had that feeling of panic that I sometimes get when it seems I might not be able to finish without assistance. A good puzzle will do that for me and will also let me finish."<BR/><BR/>EXACTLY!!!<BR/><BR/>It was an enjoyable slog for me, taking an hour or so. (3 cups)<BR/><BR/>I would have finished sooner if I hadn't confidently filled in HAS A COW for 24d. (Rages)<BR/><BR/>I can't believe no-one else fell into that trap.<BR/><BR/>Thank you KMT, When I see your name on a puzzle I know it will be the experience Jae so aptly describes.WWPierrenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63074201490380111622008-09-06T16:43:00.000-04:002008-09-06T16:43:00.000-04:00Great write-up Wade. Good, challenging puzzle toda...Great write-up Wade. Good, challenging puzzle today. Had ASTON MARTIN, RANT, PLO, ESPYS, and NLERS as my gimmes.<BR/>That gave me the SE and with ANISTON falling helped fill the entire eastern seaboard.<BR/>Had CAB instead of CAR cuz I wanted some kinda -----BUSH.<BR/>Wanted IN A ROW for 'Spaced' and had HOPIS instead of ZUNIS and was wondering if BETH ST WEBOR was a person. HAH. Once the FOG lifted I got ZSA ZSA and the NW fell. <BR/>Finally finished at the 45 minute mark when I convinced myself AXE was wrong for 6A.<BR/>Great cluing today. My only gripe is WTF is an AMATORY. I'll have to add that to my 'Dictionary of Obscure and Archaic Words'.Palm Springs Petenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44651026399056507312008-09-06T15:58:00.000-04:002008-09-06T15:58:00.000-04:00A great write-up for a great puzzle.Just planted c...A great write-up for a great puzzle.<BR/><BR/>Just planted citrus blend lantana for Fall. (nice)<BR/>Did not know it to be a herb or look like "ham and eggs."<BR/><BR/>Finally got maven for guru at the very end.<BR/><BR/>One blog post not considered a "rant."Yancynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43486017708678019702008-08-03T17:40:00.000-04:002008-08-03T17:40:00.000-04:00Finally! Took me two days, but I finished it - mad...Finally! Took me two days, but I finished it - made one mistake though, had "ARN" for "AYN" - NE corner was the last to drop, tough, but fun puzzle.Nebraska Dougnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44565164150073053922008-08-03T15:49:00.000-04:002008-08-03T15:49:00.000-04:00Great write-up and comments, too!I did get LANTANA...Great write-up and comments, too!<BR/>I did get LANTANA because, having grown up in Miami and taken frequent trips to Orlando on the Florida Turnpike, one of the exits is for (all together now) Lantana, FL. Only later did I find out it was some sort of plant (apparently an herb). That said, I also guessed R instead of Y but if I had checked the down again I would have gone with the Y- DAILEY just makes more sense.<BR/><BR/>It was the NE and eastern seaboard that killed me. When I finally rethought <A HREF="http://frn.sdstate.edu/Lending_LibraryPics/Inventory%20Pictures/Farmer%20Says%20See'n%20Say%20423.jpg" REL="nofollow">see and changed it to SAY</A> (re-re-re entering my initial fill of NESTEA), figured out AMATORY and the rest finally fell. The R in ARB was my last fill. Just watched "A Passage to India" the other night for the first time (and on blu-ray, to boot)- what a great film that was!Doc Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84678938946449203452008-08-03T14:52:00.001-04:002008-08-03T14:52:00.001-04:00Learn something new every week! Thanks CrossCan!Learn something new every week! Thanks CrossCan!ClueLasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057558143566837734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7604612323132729552008-08-03T14:52:00.000-04:002008-08-03T14:52:00.000-04:00Learn something new every week! Thanks CrossCan!Learn something new every week! Thanks CrossCan!ClueLasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057558143566837734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62483801601820054232008-08-03T14:35:00.000-04:002008-08-03T14:35:00.000-04:00Don't give up ClueLass I couldn't do Saturdays a f...Don't give up ClueLass I couldn't do Saturdays a few years ago. Practice!<BR/><BR/>NLER is National LeaguER as in baseball. Look for ALER american as well.Crosscannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34052406478060268532008-08-03T14:08:00.000-04:002008-08-03T14:08:00.000-04:00Wade, I am pretty sure, living in the mountains as...Wade, I am pretty sure, living in the mountains as I do, that you can't "Clumb" but I am almost positive that you can "Rised"! LOL <BR/><BR/>That was a fantastic commentary (how many times have you read that now?) for my introduction to your Posts.<BR/><BR/>I am not new to the Blog but this is my first time commenting. I am amazed at all of you and your vast knowledge of all things great and small. And REALLY amazed at what you will admit to in the course of your puzzling!<BR/><BR/>When I hear that people have finished Saturday’s puzzle I am always floored. I truly thought that it was never meant to be solved unless you went to area 51 and stole the answer key! So when I hear that people have solved it in an hour I begin to wonder if I am not approaching the puzzle in the right way. After all, Saturday morning begins with a quick run to get my giant latte and back to the bedroom and getting comfy. I am surrounded by my Webster’s set and NYT Book of Knowledge; the laptop is fired up and already on a Google search page; my cell phone and land line are ready and prepped with speed dials for my smart friends and I have not one but two, totally filled mechanical pencils ready to jot in the answers. I mean what more could you ask for? Well I will tell you….The Answers!!! Even with help it didn’t help.<BR/><BR/>I spent hours doing nothing but working on the puzzle and I can tell you that I really wanted 007 to drive a Lamborghini( hey it fit – what does a blonde know about cars)! I even got the “Aniston” though it is not from watching “Friends” but it was the only name I could remember. Went on to get the “car”, “rant”, “apt to” and “skosh”. This is where my vast knowledge pool ended. Next was the call the Buffalo to check in with the real puzzlers. I asked for answers – they asked if I wanted hints. Not I didn’t want hints; it has been two hours now and I want answers! And so it went. Filled in Zsa Zsa and all the other names that he always has stuck in his head and still I couldn’t come up with the rest. An hour you say…….hmmmm. Are we working with the same time increments?<BR/><BR/>It was still not done when I started Sunday’s or even finished Sunday’s for that matter. That is when I went to check my “Rex Parker” blog. After reading Wade I felt better but still couldn’t comprehend why my puzzle had huge gaping holes in it. Didn’t Prussia annex Egypt? LOL<BR/><BR/>My big THANKS to Rex for mucho enjoyable reading for the last year and a new “Thanks” to Wade and Puzzle girl for my two new reads. I will never get anything done now with all this blog reading! All of you are sooo smart and kinda funny too. Your commenters are not bad either.<BR/><BR/>Okay, I am gushing now so I will stop. Have a good week!<BR/><BR/>As always,<BR/>A Clueless Clue Lass in New Mexico<BR/><BR/>PS What the heck is an “NLER” ?ClueLasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057558143566837734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15114900080278793192008-08-03T02:26:00.000-04:002008-08-03T02:26:00.000-04:00@andrea -- I'm pretty neutral on Jennifer Aniston ...@andrea -- I'm pretty neutral on Jennifer Aniston although I thought she did a good job in "The Good Girl."<BR/><BR/>Good night all -- Enjoy your vacation Wade.jaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33908226251678681632008-08-03T00:14:00.000-04:002008-08-03T00:14:00.000-04:00Of course this is a beer cup.....(reminder to self...Of course this is a beer cup.....<BR/>(reminder to self: Preview! Though the last time I did that the whole comment disappeared)/machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20060910614723734532008-08-03T00:10:00.000-04:002008-08-03T00:10:00.000-04:00@andreacarla: my father had an old stein (ceramic ...@andreacarla: my father had an old stein (ceramic bear cup with a pewter lid) that had a verse on it in old Dutch, which loosely translates as:<BR/><BR/>People learn to drink first,<BR/>Much later take to eating.<BR/>Thus will they, clever as they are,<BR/>never forget their drinking.<BR/><BR/>For the Dutch reader:<BR/><BR/>Het drinken leert de mens(ch) het eerst<BR/>Veel later pas het eten<BR/>Dies zal de mens, van rappen geest<BR/>Het drinken niet vergeten.machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70024077212500973142008-08-02T23:06:00.000-04:002008-08-02T23:06:00.000-04:00@foodie et al.: If you read the Tobias Wolff book ...@foodie et al.: If you read the Tobias Wolff book wade recommends (thanks for reminding me, old dog!), you'll see that she has the ability to attract young men, too. I for myself have never read her--I saw the Fountainhead, and the sight of Gary Cooper designing a skyscraper alone in his attic (do I rememeber this correctly?) was so utterly ludicrous (and I mean <B>utterly</B>) that I never felt compelled to read the book. Now, the book may have a more realistic description of the large team that is needed to do such a job--but then again I doubt it: wouldn't this smell too much of a collective?Ulrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55549883269180337852008-08-02T23:01:00.000-04:002008-08-02T23:01:00.000-04:00@ joho, jae, Green mantis mea culpa, didn't know M...@ joho, jae, Green mantis <BR/>mea culpa, didn't know Ms Aniston was such a secret, self-effacing saint!<BR/>But harsh? Damn, I thought it was one of the funnier things I've ever spontaneously written...alas.<BR/><BR/>@joon: <BR/>ESSEN as the German verb "to eat" might be fairly fair game for a NY TImes puzzle esp to jews who had elderly relatives who would say in Yiddish "ESSEN mein kind" at any family get together...<BR/>Ah, Aunt Rose...I miss you!<BR/>and they would point out that that is where the word DELICAT-ESSEN is from...<BR/>But I'm having a deja-ulrich about this, so perhaps it's been discussed.<BR/><BR/>Plus, "to eat" is one of the first verbs one learns when travelling... unless you want to be from hunger.andrea carla michaelsacmenaming.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9776234205853953802008-08-02T22:01:00.000-04:002008-08-02T22:01:00.000-04:00Ayn Rand's ability to capture the devotion of youn...Ayn Rand's ability to capture the devotion of young women when they first encounter her is pretty remarkable. I remember reading the Fountainhead a million years ago when I was in Beirut and thinking I saw the light. Then years later, my daughter read her and had the same reaction (she probably did not know how I had responded when I was her age or she may have never told me...). One eventually outgrows her, and obviously those who have met her sound less than enchanted. But, even though I felt her appeal, it's a mystery. May be she resonates with young women just as they are figuring out how to be strong... And may be that is why she disappoints in person-- her point of view did not mature beyond that stage...foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87672555348547629272008-08-02T21:32:00.000-04:002008-08-02T21:32:00.000-04:00Make of it what you will: The headline on the Brid...Make of it what you will: The headline on the Bridge column above the puzzle in the print version is: "When the Clock Is Ticking, Try to Remember Ayn Rand"Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797640548982666237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63801178975345996602008-08-02T20:34:00.000-04:002008-08-02T20:34:00.000-04:00Wade.........great commentary, I had a very simila...Wade.........great commentary, I had a very similar experience with this puzzle......your comment on "staving off Alzheimer's" was hysterical.<BR/><BR/>BillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36587359762918101002008-08-02T20:21:00.000-04:002008-08-02T20:21:00.000-04:00@joon -- I'm pretty sure ESSEN has been used in th...@joon -- I'm pretty sure ESSEN has been used in the "eat" form in the Times crossword, although that doesn't make it right. FYI COMER is espanol for "to eat," and I did not know AYN Robbins but did vaguely remember DAILEY after I got a couple of letters.jaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385568014046336373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30632762211792181612008-08-02T19:31:00.000-04:002008-08-02T19:31:00.000-04:00Actually, the song has no fewer than 13 different ...Actually, the song has no fewer than 13 different words:<BR/><BR/><I>Trying hard now<BR/>it's so hard now<BR/>trying hard now<BR/><BR/>Getting strong now<BR/>won't be long now<BR/>getting strong now<BR/><BR/>Gonna fly now<BR/>flying high now<BR/>gonna fly, fly, fly...</I><BR/><BR/>So that's, you know, a good four words per writer.<BR/><BR/>(Thanks to PhillySolver for posting the lyrics at my blog.)Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53191089150596422682008-08-02T18:58:00.000-04:002008-08-02T18:58:00.000-04:00Hilarious writeup! I have to take the blame for d...Hilarious writeup! I have to take the blame for digging up an AYN other than Rand. I didn&#39;t think about the fact that the song has less than a dozen words, just that practically everyone knows it (at least the music) and it might be interesting to put a (one of 3, it turns out) creative name to it. Many of the other diabolical clues you have to thank W.S. for. Thanks for the writeup &amp; comments!mellocathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10637828760951248690noreply@blogger.com